Question

If you started the motor of a boat in the middle of a lake, who would detect the sound of the motor first: a friend sitting on the shore of the lake, or a friend snorkeling just below the surface of the water along the same shore? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Answer:

A friend snorkeling just below the surface of the water along the same shore will detect the sound first.

Answer 2

Answer:

A friend snorkeling just below the surface of the water along the same shore will detect the sound first.

Explanation:

• The speed of sound in water medium is faster than that through the air.
• Sound propagates through the medium by transferring through the molecules on it. Water has more closely packed molecules due to which the speed is faster.
• In fact, the sound's speed in water is almost four times faster than that in the air.
• So the guy in the water surface gets to hear sound faster than the one in sore.